09: The Gibeonites: Deceit of Faith? (Josh 9:1 – 27)

The Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the men of Israel and thus gained their lives. Was this in God’s plan?

πŸ‘‰ Read Joshua 9:1 - 27


Q1. When Joshua’s victory spread to Canaanite kings, they allied to fight against (           ) and Israel. However, the Gibeonites did something (          ). They cheated Joshua as if they lived (            ).

Joshua, clever, far away

This reminds what the Lord promised to Joshua. “No one will be able to resist you all the days of your life” (Josh 1:5)



Q2. The Israelites first doubted the Gibeonites’ words. But what do you think made their eyes blind and fooled by the Gibeonites’ trick? (v7-8, v14)

The Gibeonites called themselves the subject of the Israelites.

Their parents were slaves in Egypt. They knew what it would be like to have slaves. The words of the Gibeonites triggered their desire to be served and blinded their eyes. 

The Gibeonites were shrewd enough not to mention the victory over Jericho and Ai as if they had not heard it. In fact, they heard it (3) but pretended not to, claiming they lived far away.





Q3. Even though the treaty was made based on a lie, they should keep it. Why?

It was made in the name of the Lord God of Israel (v18, 19).

Many years later, King Saul tried to annihilate the Gibeonites in his jeal for Israel. The Lord was not happy and caused three years of famine in the land. (2 Sam 21:1-2)



Q4. What was the Gibeonites’ answer to Joshua’s question about why they had lied? 

They heard about the Lord and His plan to destroy all the Canaanites. They chose to live as slaves of God’s people rather than to die. Probably they relied on God’s mercy.

In this episode, no one is righteous except the Lord. Though the Gibeonites seemed to have faith, they chose deceit rather than repentance. When they came to Joshua, he didn’t ask the Lord and made a hasty treaty in the Lord’s name. 

Whatever circumstance His name was used for an oath, the oath should be kept for the sake of His reputation. 'Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar.' (Rom 3:4)  

We cannot approve what the Gideonites did. However, commendable was their desperate plea for the mercy of the Lord. What they did reminds what Jacob did, blessing by deceit. Also, Jesus said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it.” (Matt 11:12)



It is mysterious that the Lord provided the way of salvation for this Canaanite tribe, by letting Joshua be deceived by them. The Lord didn’t want them to perish but to thrive through repentance.

Even though they were saved, they became slaves. Their presence within the Israelite community became a source of conflict, until the time of the complete salvation through Jesus Christ.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

25: ‘Tell us plainly’ vs ‘The Father and I are one.’ (John 10:22 – 42)

As Jesus announced the Father and Jesus were one, the Jewish leaders tried to stone him. πŸ‘‰ Read John 10:22 - 42 Q1. Why did the Jewish leaders not believe in Jesus? Answers πŸ‘‰ They refused to believe in Jesus, for they were not Jesus’ sheep. ‘you refused to believe.’ This tells their willing refusal.  Note that Jesus Himself doesn’t call Himself the Messiah. Instead, He called Himself the One sent from God. He focused on doing the Father’s works and proclaiming His words. From Jesus’ works, they could have concluded that He was the Messiah sent from God. But they refused to admit it. Instead, they asked Jesus to admit His identity as the Messiah plainly, which Jesus wouldn’t do. Q2. They asked Jesus if He were the (           ). But Jesus claimed that the (          ) and He are one. Because of this, they condemned Him of (             ) and tried to stone Him. Answer πŸ‘‰ They asked Jesus if He were the ( Christ ). But Jesus claimed that the ( Father  ) and He are one
Read more

26: Other Laws concerning human life (#6 no murder) (Deut 21:1 – 22:8)

The command ‘do not murder’ should be extended to its full measure and completeness. They needed to remove the guilt of unresolved murder, keep the dignity of the female slave, respect the patrilineal inheritance, and preserve various lives. πŸ‘‰ Read Deuteronomy 21:1 - 22:8 When a homicide victim is found, and no one knows the murderer, the elders of the nearest town must do a ritual of atonement through the death of a heifer. What is the purpose of doing so? (7-9) If you had made your female slave your wife, you can divorce her but not (             ) her. For a man with two wives, if his less-loved wife’s son is the firstborn, let him inherit the (            ) portion. He should not show favoritism according to his affection for one of his wives. When a son doesn’t listen to his parent, he is like a glutton and (             ). Why should they not leave the corpse on the tree of execution overnight? When you see someone’s lost possession, do not (           ) it. You must not re
Read more

35: I am the True Vine. You are the Branches (John 15:1 – 17)

Image
The vine tree analogy so vividly illustrates our relationship with Jesus. As the branches of a vine share the life of the vine, we share and live from Jesus’ life. πŸ‘‰ Read John 15:1 - 17 Q1. Why do we need to remain in Jesus? (2, 4) Answers πŸ‘‰ To bear fruit. God takes away any branch that doesn’t bear fruit. We might debate the security of salvation: do we lose our salvation if we bear no fruit? However, it is better to focus on how to bear fruit rather than how to get salvation.  “You are clean already.” It would refer to a born-again status, a rightful relationship with the Father, one who bathed (13:10). John uses the imagery of cleanness for salvation. In the OT bible, one should be ritually clean to stand before God.  When we believe Jesus’ gospel, we are reconciled with the Father. Though sinners, we can approach God by Jesus’ blood. The pruning (lit. cleaning) (2) of our life is to make us bear more fruit. “Remain”: You should stay, not stop by. No plant produces fruit
Read more